Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-16
BEAR HUNTING.
How the Hunters Follow b Signs OF the
G,me. some Of the Habits Of the AMI

VI ttIttut loNh7iiPt n touutls u Cuhss
In q recent In ervlew said:
There are a great many ways by
which We can tell when bears are likely
TO be plenty In any locality. The bears
live In the swamps, and early in the sum
mer. IL Bruin is about, he soft black
mud along the edge OF the swamps will
be broken up as II a herd OF cows had
been walking through IL. At intervals
also, the mud will be followed out In
spots eight or ten feet long. two or
three wide. and as m my deep.
These are wallow holes made by the
bears, whose tracks II Is that have brok-
en- up the mud OF the swamp borders.
In these holes the ears will lie n
wallow and sleep with their noses and
eyes buried in the muck.
"Some hunters watch these holes and
shoot the besrs as they come out OF the
SWAMP to wallow. but as at that time
OF year their flesh Is poor aid their fur
valueless, such killing OF bears except
on the score OF abatlng q nuisance Is
senseless and Improbable.
AT that time Of year, In looking for
bear signs, w always examine the trees
along the swainps TO uni IL any bear
has been measuring himself. Bears
have a habit OF getting up on their hind
feet by q tree, and reaching up with
their fore paws. tearing the bark off as
high as they can reach, leaving infallible
and plain signs OF their presence. Some
hunters say that In doing this the bears
are measuring their he!gut to seeif they
have grown any during the Winter.
"In the Fall bears turn up the stones
over large areas, looking for crickets,
bugs. slugs and different Insects OF which
they are fond.
lin the late Summer and early Fall
they feed on the huckleberries and black
berries, and wnen frost comes they may
be found feasting on their favorite fruit,
the bearberry.
When these are gone the hunter
looks among the scrub-oak barrens for
signs OF bear. for then he breaks down
acre upon acre OF tuese dwarf oaks and
feeds upon the acorns.
Hornet and yellowjacket nests the
bear never passes by in the Fall, for OF
the immature young Of these insects,
which are found by the thousands in the
nests, he is particularly fond. The
stingers Of these fierce bees have no ter
ror for Bruin.
The choicest morsel TO a bear, how
ever, is wild honey. He will line Q bee
tree a u%nerringly as a bee. hunter, and
gives up until he finds the object
of his search.
when the tree Is found the bear be-
gins to look for the place where the hon
ey Is stored. H. gives the tree a thump
with his paw every few feet until he
strikes tue hollow place. Then IL is the
UrArk ~ "A Eh..sf tf..A e.. Al.. - 49,
away the wood with lis sharp claws,
until the rich stores OF honey are laid
bare, and he leasts 10 his hears con-
tent.
I'm the coolest weather bears usually
house themselves In small caves OF OPEN
ings in and under the ledse OF rocks,
where II is dr. Tut IL the Winter Is not
too cold they frequently come out and
are easily Hacked through The snow.
They usually select the southern face OF
u mountain for their holes aud deUs.
Tine gene al belief ls that they eat
no hing wnIi- ,oused up. aud hat belief
must lie { o,rect for bears cIIaInly do
MOI su4re anything for Winter consump-
ton. like The squirrel and coon; and as
they do not move out Of Winter quarters
II the weather is severe or snow very
deep, they do not forage during the
Winter.
Whether they subslst on nutriment
obtained by sucking their paws, as some
hunters say they do. | cannot say but
do know that when they 90 into Win
ter quarters they are simply masses
OF fat. Their fur is very tense, and then
is the time 10 obtain bear skins OF the
best quality.
Dogs are the natural enemies OF
bears. A dogs yelp is the signal to the
bear for a fight.
enough TO go beyond the opening OF a
cave where a bear has been scented or 10
pitch into u bear that has turned for
tight. A full grown bear with his dan
Ger up can ward off half a dozen good
dogs II he can protect his rear. A fair
blow fro n a bears paw will place any
dog In a condition That will rob the sub
sequvnt procet dings Of all interest to
him.
"At sight o; man though, q bear
will make every effort TO get away. As
a rule, Bruin will never fight a man un-
less forced TO and then It will be war TO
the death.
"A she bear with cubs, when followed
closely. will keep her cubs ahead OF her
and bring up the rear to protect them.
II she Is p Ished closely she will try to
brighten of her pursuer by making a
great show Of fight. She growls, shows
her teeth, tears the bark from the
trees and scatters IL about with much
fuss and noise, and will make herself as
fierce as possible In many ways.
"If the enemy presses and there Is no
help for IL the mother bear will fight as
long as she has a drop OF blood to shed
In defense OF her young the cubs. mean
while, will huddle together u short dis
lance of and whine aud cry piteOusly.
"In chasing bear experienced dogs
greatly aid the hunter and o much
toward checking the speed OF the bear.
"A bear chase Is often "A long and tire
some piece OF ~OrS, for when a bear
finds ha he Is tracked he will pick out
the most tangled AID impossible places
he can reacn. He will often lead the
hunter 20 miles over mountains and
through valleys where the brush and
briers are harassing, and the swamps
almost inaccessible TO man, while Bruin
will shuttle along with his clumsy gait
as rapidly as II he were on the best Of
roads.
"A bear hunters outfit is simple. A
good dog-but they are scarce a breech
loading double-bsrrel shot gun that will
carry a charge Of buckshot to kill at 80
yards, or a rifle II he Ii an experI, heavy
boots, thick trousers, and u shirt, a light
h~unting-axe In a belt, q pistol, and q
long-bladed knife for emergencies. will
equip q man who goes out after bears.
"Ift the hunter is anxious to be put 10
his mettle while on the hunt, let him
manage TO have Bruin get scent OF him.
Then the bear will take q course 10 fol-
low which will require nerve, wind, and
n tonnk aIfn